Tawang Monastery and Arunachal
A mass of densely forested, impossibly steep hills, Arunachal Pradesh is home to 26 indigenous tribes, from the Monpas of Tawang to the Apatanis of Ziro. Known as the 'Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains', it is India's wildest and least explored state.
A road trip through the rugged landscape will take you through its many magnificent lakes, waterfalls, and streams, snow-capped peaks, picturesque villages, terraced paddy fields, alpine forests, and impressive monasteries. Talking about monasteries, did you know Arunachal Pradesh is home to the magnificent Tawang Monastery, the largest in India and the second largest in the world, after the Potala Palace in Lhasa; and also the Urgelling Monastery, the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama?
This spectacular road trip will take you to some of the rare gems of the not-much explored Indian state.
Recommended Itinerary
DAY 01 - FLIGHT
Fly to Kolkata (all flights are indirect)
DAY 2 & 3 - KOLKATA
Arrive into Kolkata; transfer to the Fairlawn (or The Grand/Lalit), at leisure; the New Market is a short walk away, as is the Park Street. Visit the Victoria Memorial, St Paul's, Kumaratully, College Street, the Indian Museum and Tagore's home at Jorasanko; a morning visit to the Flower Market and a boat ride on the Hooghly can be arranged.
DAY 4 - TEJPUR
Morning flight to Guwahati; drive on to Tejpur for a night at Fern Residency; visit the remains of the 6th century Da Parbatia Temple and the Cole Park with its collection of medieval stone carving.
DAY 5 - BOMDILA
Drive to Bomdila visiting Tipi Orchidarium, stay at Tsepal Yangjom; visit the monastery and tribal villages.
DAYS 6, 7 & 8 - TAWANG
Carry on to Tawang, crossing the 13715 ft high Sela Pass; stay at the Dolma Guest house for three nights, within an easy walk of the monastery. Visit the famous Tawang Monastery, with over 500 lamas; also visit the Seru village to see the lifestyle of the Monpa Tribe and the Gorsam Chorten in Zemithang, similar to Boudnath in Kathmandu.
DAY 9 & 10 - DIRANG
Drive to Dirang for two nights at Pemaling Hotel; visit the Thembang village, whose inhabitants claim direct ancestry from the royal family of Tibet. Also visit Sangti valley - Sangti River runs through the broad open valley, a tract of land with paddy fields and slender pines, stone houses built by the Monpas lend a special charm to the place. The valley is rich in birdlife; during winter black necked cranes and black tailed crake can be seen here.
DAYS 11 & 12 - NAMERI
To Nameri National Park for two nights at the Eco Camp; situated at the foothills of Eastern Himalayas on the banks of the River Bhorelli, the park is home to rare birds like the great Indian hornbill and the white winged wood duck; bird watching is all on foot, there being no motorable roads, or on rafts. Ruddy shell duck, cormorant are common while one can spot rare species like the white winged wood duck, ibis bill, pied kingfisher, wreathed hornbill, blue-eared kingfisher and king vulture.
DAY 13 - GUWAHATI
Drive back to Guwahai for a night at a family guest house; visit the sights including Kamakhya Temple.
DAY 14 - KOLKATA
Fly to Kolkata, spend the night at an airport hotel.
DAY 15 - RETURN
Transfer to the airport for the return flight.
Entry formalities
All foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit to visit Arunachal Pradesh. The Government stipulates the number of tourists to minimum 2 in a group to apply for RAP. It costs USD 50 per person for a 30 days' permit.
Extensions
Bhutan
Fly from Guwahati to Paro for three nights; visit the Ta Dzong, Rinpung Dzong and the famous Taktsang Monastery; also enjoy a full day excursion to the capital Thimphu. Fly back via Kolkata.
Kaziranga
Drive from Guwahati to Kaziranga for three nights; visit the park to spot the one horned rhino, elephants, wild buffalo, tigers (with some luck), and a variety of birds. Fly back via Kolkata.
Sunderbans
Drive from Kolkata for a couple of nights at the coastal mangrove forest of Sunderbans National Park, home to the Royal Bengal tiger, estuarine crocodile and Ganges River dolphine.
Gallery
Testimonials
“Just to let you know that I had a good tour of Arunachal Pradesh, that everything went well and the guide and driver were both excellent.”